Servus!

Some things here are really different, like the fact that everyone speaks German or that everything happens earlier (first lesson is at 7.45 am!). Those things I was fairly well prepared for. It's the little things that I am having fun with at the moment. And by "fun", I mean sometimes it's fun and sometimes it's really, really...not. You might enjoy reading about some of them, so I have made a list for your amusement:

• Nearly all of the windows here have three settings; open from a hinge at the side, closed and tilting from the top. When I first discovered the third setting, I thought I had broken the window and it was falling on top of me. Now that I am over my fear of Austrian windows, I think it is a very clever feat of  engineering.

• You're not allowed to cross the road when the red man is showing even if it's clear, you just have to stand there in front of an empty street, which makes me feel ridiculous. I was expecting that, but what I was unprepared for is that the traffic lights around the corner go green at the same time the green man appears for the pedestrians. It is pedestrian right of way, so it's safe, but ES MACHT KEINEN SINN! (It doesn't make sense!) Also I keep looking the wrong way when I cross the roads; I do a mental air-punch every time I look the right way without having to work it out first.

• I may have mentioned this before, but I will say it again because I think it is a good idea. Whenever you go out and order a coffee, you are also given a glass of tap water.

• People here say "servus" as a greeting, but at first I thought there were just lots of friendly people called Servus around and kept replying, "Bryony!"

•  There are stop buttons on the flushes of toilets. In the UK, we are only trusted to decide between a big flush and a little flush. Here you have the responsibility of deciding exactly how much flush is required.

• When I set up my bank account, I was given a keyring with my bank name and a special code on it. If I lose my keys, the person who finds them just has to post them anywhere and they will be returned to my bank for me to collect. Genius!

Who would have thought that opening windows, saying hello and flushing the toilet would be the new and interesting experiences of my year abroad? If those things cause problems, goodness knows what is in store for the rest of the year!